Braided screen for downhole sand control screen assemblies

ABSTRACT

A sand control screen assembly includes a base pipe that defines an interior and one or more flow ports. A braided sand screen is disposed about the base pipe and is radially offset from the base pipe such that a production annulus is defined therebetween. The braided sand screen comprises a plurality of wires braided about the base pipe during manufacture.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/907,589 filed on Jan. 26, 2016 entitled “Braided Screen for DownholeSand Control Screen Assemblies”, which claims the benefit ofInternational PCT application no. PCT/US2015/031485, filed May 19, 2015both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

During hydrocarbon production from subsurface formations, efficientcontrol of the movement of unconsolidated formation particles into thewellbore, such as sand, has always been a pressing concern. Suchformation movement commonly occurs during production from completions inloose sandstone or following the hydraulic fracture of a formation.Formation movement can also occur suddenly in the event a section of thewellbore collapses, thereby circulating significant amounts ofparticulates and fines within the wellbore. Production of these unwantedmaterials may cause numerous problems in the efficient extraction of oiland gas from subterranean formations. For example, producing formationparticles may tend to plug the formation, tubing, and subsurface flowlines. Producing formation particles may also result in the erosion ofcasing, downhole equipment, and surface equipment. These problems leadto high maintenance costs and unacceptable well downtime.

Numerous methods have been used to control the movement or production ofthese unconsolidated formation particles during production operations.For example, one or more sand control screen assemblies are commonlyincluded in the completion string to regulate and restrict the movementof formation particles. Such sand control screen assemblies are commonlyconstructed by installing one or more screen jackets on a perforatedbase pipe. The screen jackets typically include one or more drainagelayers and one or more sand screens disposed about the base pipe. Thesand screens typically comprise wire wrapped screens or single ormultilayer wire mesh screens.

Wire wrapped screens are fabricated by helically wrapping a wirefilament about the base pipe and over a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs. The wire wrapped screen is then welded at one or bothends to the base pipe for operation. Wire mesh screens commonly includea plurality of layers of a wire mesh that can be diffusion bonded orsintered together or otherwise tightly woven to form a fluid porous meshscreen in sheet form. The sheet is then subsequently wrapped around thebase pipe over a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs such thatthe ends overlap each other a short distance. An outer shroud may thenbe placed over the wrapped mesh sheet to hold the mesh layer tightagainst the drainage layer or an inner shroud.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures are included to illustrate certain aspects of thepresent disclosure, and should not be viewed as exclusive embodiments.The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modifications,alterations, combinations, and equivalents in form and function, withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a well system that may employ the principles of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary sand controlscreen assembly.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are views of an exemplary sand control screen assemblyin the process of being fabricated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is related to wellbore equipment used inoperations undertaken in subterranean wells and, in particular, sandcontrol screen assemblies that include braided sand screens.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a sand control screen assembly thatincludes a braided sand screen disposed about a base pipe and comprisinga plurality of wires that are braided about the base pipe duringmanufacture. As opposed to conventional wire wrap and wire mesh sandscreens, the braided sand screens of the present disclosure may fit moretightly against the base pipe and is, therefore, more rigid. Moreover,the braid over the base pipe may have flexibility in varying the outerdiameter of the base pipe and various rib configurations interposing thebase pipe and the braided sand screen.

Referring to FIG. 1, illustrated is a well system 100 that may employthe principles of the present disclosure, according to one or moreembodiments of the disclosure. As depicted, the well system 100 includesa wellbore 102 that extends through various earth strata and has asubstantially vertical section 104 extending to a substantiallyhorizontal section 106. The upper portion of the vertical section 104may have a casing string 108 cemented therein, and the horizontalsection 106 may extend through a hydrocarbon bearing subterraneanformation 110. In at least one embodiment, the horizontal section 106may be arranged within or otherwise extend through an open hole sectionof the wellbore 102.

A tubing string 112 may be positioned within the wellbore 102 and extendfrom the surface (not shown). The tubing string 112 provides a conduitfor fluids extracted from the formation 110 to travel to the surface. Atits lower end, the tubing string 112 may be coupled to a completionstring 114 arranged within the horizontal section 106. The completionstring 114 serves to divide the completion interval into variousproduction intervals adjacent the formation 110. As depicted, thecompletion string 114 may include a plurality of sand control screenassemblies 116 axially offset from each other along portions of thecompletion string 114. Each screen assembly 116 may be positionedbetween a pair of packers 118 that provides a fluid seal between thecompletion string 114 and the wellbore 102, and thereby definingcorresponding production intervals.

In operation, the screen assemblies 116 serve the primary function offiltering particulate matter out of the production fluid stream suchthat particulates, debris, and other wellbore fines are not produced tothe surface via the tubing string 112. To accomplish this, each screenassembly 116 may include one or more sand screens 120 (three shown ineach interval). According to embodiments of the present disclosure, andas will be described in greater detail below, one or more of the sandscreens 120 may comprise a braided screen filter positioned over andotherwise disposed about a base pipe. Contrary to conventional sandscreens, which typically comprise helically wrapped or woven screens,the sand screens 120 described herein comprise a braided wire filterthat is braided directly onto the base pipe during manufacture.

It should be noted that even though FIG. 1 depicts the screen assemblies116 as being arranged in an open hole portion of the wellbore 102,embodiments are contemplated herein where one or more of the screenassemblies 116 is arranged within cased portions of the wellbore 102.Also, even though FIG. 1 depicts a single screen assembly 116 arrangedin each production interval, it will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art that any number of screen assemblies 116 may be deployed withina particular production interval without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. In addition, even though FIG. 1 depicts multiple productionintervals separated by the packers 118, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the completion interval may include any numberof production intervals with a corresponding number of packers 118arranged therein. In other embodiments, the packers 118 may be entirelyomitted from the completion interval, without departing from the scopeof the disclosure.

While FIG. 1 depicts the screen assemblies 116 as being arranged in agenerally horizontal section 106 of the wellbore 102, those skilled inthe art will readily recognize that the screen assemblies 116 areequally well suited for use in wells having other directionalconfigurations including vertical wells, deviated wellbores, slantedwells, multilateral wells, combinations thereof, and the like. The useof directional terms such as above, below, upper, lower, upward,downward, left, right, uphole, downhole and the like are used inrelation to the illustrative embodiments as they are depicted in thefigures, the upward direction being toward the top of the correspondingfigure and the downward direction being toward the bottom of thecorresponding figure, the uphole direction being toward the surface ofthe well and the downhole direction being toward the toe of the well.

Referring now to FIG. 2, with continued reference to FIG. 1, illustratedis a cross-sectional view of an exemplary sand control screen assembly200, according to one or more embodiments. The sand control screenassembly 200 may be the same as or similar to any of the screenassemblies 116 described in FIG. 1 and, therefore, may be used in thewell system 100 depicted therein. The screen assembly 200 may include orotherwise be arranged about a base pipe 202 that defines one or moreopenings or flow ports 204 configured to provide fluid communicationbetween the interior 206 of the base pipe 202 and an exterior of thescreen assembly 200, such as the surrounding formation 110.

The screen assembly 200 may further include a braided sand screen 208that is positioned about the exterior of the base pipe 202. The braidedsand screen 208 may be the same as or similar to any of the braided sandscreens 120 of FIG. 1. In some embodiments, as illustrated, the braidedsand screen 208 may extend between an upper end ring 210 arranged aboutthe base pipe 202 at its uphole end and a lower end ring 212 arrangedabout the base pipe 202 at its downhole end. The upper and lower endrings 210, 212 provide a mechanical interface between the base pipe 202and the opposing ends of the braided sand screen 208. Each end ring 210,212 may be formed from a metal, such as 13 chrome, 304L stainless steel,316L stainless steel, 420 stainless steel, 410 stainless steel, INCOLOY®825, iron, brass, copper, bronze, tungsten, titanium, cobalt, nickel,combinations thereof, or the like. Moreover, each end ring 210, 212 maybe coupled or otherwise attached to the outer surface of base pipe 202by being welded, brazed, threaded, mechanically fastened, combinationsthereof, or the like. In other embodiments, however, one or both of theend rings 210, 212 may be omitted or otherwise form an integral part ofthe braided sand screen 208.

In one or more embodiments, the screen assembly 200 may further includea perforated shroud 216 (shown in dashed lines) disposed about thebraided sand screen 208. The shroud 216 may be configured to protect thebraided sand screen 208 while running the screen assembly 200 downhole.In other embodiments, however, the shroud 216 may be omitted or, inaddition thereto, a protective layer or coating of material may beapplied to the outer surface of the braided sand screen 208, as will bedescribed in more detail below.

As illustrated, the braided sand screen 208 may be radially offset ashort distance from the base pipe 202 such that a production annulus 214is defined therebetween. In some embodiments, the production annulus 214may be defined and otherwise provided by positioning a plurality oflongitudinally-extending ribs (not shown) between the base pipe 202 andthe braided sand screen 208 and braiding the braided sand screen 208about the base pipe 202 on top of the ribs. In other embodiments,however, the production annulus 214 may be defined and otherwiseprovided by positioning a drainage layer (not shown) between the basepipe 202 and the braided sand screen 208. As generally known in the art,a drainage layer for sand screens may include, for example, a pluralityof ribs (not shown) extending longitudinally along the length of thebase pipe 202 and a wire wrapped screen or perforated shroud disposedabout the longitudinal ribs. In such embodiments, the braided sandscreen 208 may be disposed about the exterior of the drainage layer toradially offset the braided sand screen 208 from the base pipe 202.

In exemplary operation of the screen assembly 200, fluids from thesurrounding formation 110 may be drawn into the production annulus 214via the braided sand screen 208. The braided sand screen 208 may serveas a filter medium designed to allow the fluid derived from theformation 110 to flow therethrough but substantially prevent the influxof particulate matter of a predetermined size. As indicated by thearrows, the fluid may flow into the production annulus 214 andsubsequently locate the flow ports 204, which allow the fluid to flowinto the interior 206 of the base pipe 202 to be subsequently producedto the surface.

The braided sand screen 208 may comprise and otherwise be made of aplurality of filaments or wires 218 woven and otherwise braided aboutthe circumference of the base pipe 202 during manufacture of the screenassembly 200. In the illustrated embodiment, the wires 218 are depictedas exhibiting a generally circular cross-section. Using circular wires218 may prove advantageous in generating predictable voids or gapsbetween adjacent braided wires 218 due to the circular wire contactspace. As a result, an operator may be able to design the braided sandscreen 208 with wires 218 of a particular size such that it preventsparticulates of a specific size from passing therethrough. Usingcircular wires 218 may further prove advantageous since it is moresusceptible to bending due to its geometry (e.g., moment of inertia),which may require less force to braid around the base pipe 202. In otherembodiments, however, the cross-section of one or more of the wires 218may be polygonal (e.g., triangular, square, rectangular, pentagonal,etc.), without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The gauge (e.g., diameter) of the wires 218 may depend on the materialused to create the braided tubular structure, such as the flexibility ofthe particular material. Smaller gauge wires 218 may prove advantageousby generating smaller gaps or holes at the braided interfaces betweenoverlapping and/or interleaving wires 218, which may directly correspondto the size of particulates that the braided sand screen 208 is able tofilter. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the gauge of the wires 218 maybe selected based on the formation 110 and, more particularly, based onknown particulate sizes present in the formation 110. The gauge of thewires 218 may be as small as about 0.010 inches and as large as about0.125 inches. In at least one embodiment, the gauge of one or more ofthe wires 218 may be about 0.0625 inches. It will be appreciated,however, that the gauge of the wires 218 may be less than 0.010 inchesand greater than 0.125 inches, without departing from the scope of thedisclosure, and may vary between specific applications. Moreover, insome embodiments, one or more wires 218 may exhibit a first gauge, whileone or more other wires may exhibit a second gauge different from thefirst gauge.

The wires 218 may be made of a variety of durable materials suitable foruse in downhole conditions. In at least one embodiment, the wires 218may comprise a stainless steel, such as 316L, INCOLOY® alloy 825R,INCOLOY® alloy 25-6MO, INCOLOY® alloy 27-7MO, or INCONEL® alloy 304. Insome embodiments, the wires 218 may comprise two or more materials, suchas any erosion-resistant material.

In some embodiments, one or more of the wires 218 may be made of agalvanically-corrodible or dissolvable metal. In such embodiments, oncethe galvanically-corrodible or dissolvable metal wire 218 degrades ordissolves, the braided sand screen 208 may exhibit a known orpredetermined flow rate through the remaining braided wires 218. Thegalvanically-corrodible metal may be configured to degrade via anelectrochemical process in which the galvanically-corrodible metalcorrodes in the presence of an electrolyte (e.g., brine or othersalt-containing fluids present within a wellbore). Degradation bydissolving involves a degradable material that is soluble or otherwisesusceptible to degradation upon contact with an aqueous or hydrocarbonfluid.

Suitable galvanically-corrodible metals include, but are not limited to,magnesium alloys, aluminum alloys, zinc alloys, and iron alloys. Therate of galvanic corrosion can be accelerated by alloying these alloyswith a dopant. Suitable dopants to accelerate the corrosion rateinclude, but are not limited to, gold, gold-platinum alloys, silver,nickel, nickel-copper alloys, nickel-chromium alloys, copper, copperalloys (e.g., brass, bronze, etc.), chromium, tin, aluminum, iron, zinc,and beryllium. As the foregoing materials can be alloyed together oralloyed with other materials to control their rates of corrosion.Suitable galvanically-corrodible metals also include micro-galvanicmetals or materials, such as nano-structured matrix galvanic materials.One example of a nano-structured matrix micro-galvanic material is amagnesium alloy with iron-coated inclusions.

Suitable galvanically-corrodible metals also include micro-galvanicmetals or materials, such as a solution-structured galvanic material. Anexample of a solution-structured galvanic material is zirconium (Zr)containing a magnesium (Mg) alloy, where different domains within thealloy contain different percentages of Zr. This leads to a galvaniccoupling between these different domains, which causes micro-galvaniccorrosion and degradation. Micro-galvanically corrodible Mg alloys couldalso be solution structured with other elements such as zinc, aluminum,nickel, iron, calcium, carbon, tin, silver, palladium, copper, titanium,rare earth elements, etc. Micro-galvanically-corrodible aluminum alloyscould be in solution with elements such as nickel, iron, calcium,carbon, tin, silver, copper, titanium, gallium, etc.

Suitable dissolvable metals may comprise metals that dissolve in thewellbore fluid or the wellbore environment. For example, metal alloyswith high composition in aluminum, magnesium, zinc, silver, or coppermay be prone to dissolution in a wellbore environment. The degradablematerial may comprise dissimilar metals that generate a galvaniccoupling that either accelerates or decelerates the degradation ordissolution rate of the wire 218. As will be appreciated, suchembodiments may depend on where the dissimilar metals lie on thegalvanic potential. In at least one embodiment, a galvanic coupling maybe generated by embedding a cathodic substance or piece of material intoan anodic structural element. For instance, the galvanic coupling may begenerated by dissolving aluminum in gallium. A galvanic coupling mayalso be generated by using a sacrificial anode coupled to the degradablematerial. In such embodiments, the degradation rate of the degradablematerial may be decelerated until the sacrificial anode is dissolved orotherwise corroded away. In at least one embodiment, one or more of thewires 218 may comprise an aluminum-gallium alloy configured to dissolvein the wellbore environment.

In some embodiments, all or a portion of the braided sand screen 208 maybe coated with a degradable material configured to degrade and otherwisedissolve at a predetermined time or in the presence of a known chemicalor environment. As used herein, the term “degradable” and all of itsgrammatical variants (e.g., “degrade,” “degradation,” “degrading,”“dissolve,” dissolving,” and the like) refers to the dissolution orchemical conversion of solid materials such that a reduced-mass solidend product results from at least one of solubilization, hydrolyticdegradation, biologically formed entities (e.g., bacteria or enzymes),chemical reactions (including electrochemical and galvanic reactions),thermal reactions, or reactions induced by radiation. In completedegradation, no solid end products result. In some instances, thedegradation of the material may be sufficient for the mechanicalproperties of the material to be reduced to a point that the material nolonger maintains its integrity and, in essence, falls apart or sloughsoff to its surroundings.

The conditions for degradation are generally wellbore conditions wherean external stimulus may be used to initiate or effect the rate ofdegradation. For example, the pH of the fluid that interacts with thematerial may be changed by introduction of an acid or a base. The term“wellbore environment” includes both naturally occurring wellboreenvironments and materials or fluids introduced into the wellbore.Degradation of the degradable materials identified herein may beaccelerated, rapid, or normal, degrading anywhere from about 30 minutesto about 40 days from first contact with the appropriate wellboreenvironment or stimulant.

Coating all or a portion of the braided sand screen 208 with adegradable material may prove advantageous in protecting the braidedsand screen 208 while it is being run downhole, and also in preventingwellbore fluids from entering the braided sand screen 208 until apredetermined time. Once the degradable material degrades or otherwisedissolves, fluids from the surrounding environment may freely passthrough the braided sand screen 208. Suitable degradable materials thatmay be used to coat the outer surface of the braided sand screen 208include borate glass, degradable polymers (e.g., polyglycolic acid(PGA), polylactic acid (PLA), etc.), degradable rubbers, dehydratedsalts, and any combination thereof. The degradable materials may beconfigured to degrade by a number of mechanisms including, but notlimited to, swelling, dissolving, undergoing a chemical change,electrochemical reactions, undergoing thermal degradation, or anycombination of the foregoing.

Suitable degradable plastics or polymers may include, but are notlimited to, polyglycolic acid (PGA) and polylactic acid (PLA), andthiol-based plastics. A polymer is considered to be “degradable” if thedegradation is due to, in situ, a chemical and/or radical process suchas hydrolysis, oxidation, or UV radiation. Degradable polymers, whichmay be either natural or synthetic polymers, include, but are notlimited to, polyacrylics, polyamides, and polyolefins such aspolyethylene, polypropylene, polyisobutylene, and polystyrene. Suitableexamples of degradable polymers that may be used in accordance with theembodiments of the present invention include polysaccharides such asdextran or cellulose, chitins, chitosans, proteins, aliphaticpolyesters, poly(lactides), poly(glycolides), poly(ε-caprolactones),poly(hydroxybutyrates), poly(anhydrides), aliphatic or aromaticpolycarbonates, poly(orthoesters), poly(amino acids), poly(ethyleneoxides), polyphosphazenes, poly(phenyllactides), polyepichlorohydrins,copolymers of ethylene oxide/polyepichlorohydrin, terpolymers ofepichlorohydrin/ethylene oxide/allyl glycidyl ether, and any combinationthereof. Of these degradable polymers, as mentioned above, PGA and PLAmay be preferred. Polyglycolic acid and polylactic acid tend to degradeby hydrolysis as the temperature increases.

Polyanhydrides are another type of particularly suitable degradablepolymer useful in the embodiments of the present disclosure.Polyanhydride hydrolysis proceeds, in situ, via free carboxylic acidchain-ends to yield carboxylic acids as final degradation products. Thedegradation time can be varied over a broad range with changes in thepolymer backbone. Examples of suitable polyanhydrides includepoly(adipic anhydride), poly(suberic anhydride), poly(sebacicanhydride), and poly(dodecanedioic anhydride). Other suitable examplesinclude, but are not limited to, poly(maleic anhydride) and poly(benzoicanhydride).

Suitable degradable rubbers include degradable natural rubbers (i.e.,cis-1,4-polyisoprene) and degradable synthetic rubbers, which mayinclude, but are not limited to, ethylene propylene diene M-classrubber, isoprene rubber, isobutylene rubber, polyisobutene rubber,styrene-butadiene rubber, silicone rubber, ethylene propylene rubber,butyl rubber, norbornene rubber, polynorbonene rubber, a block polymerof styrene, a block polymer of styrene and butadiene, a block polymer ofstyrene and isoprene, and any combination thereof. Other suitabledegradable polymers include those that have a melting point that is suchthat it will dissolve at the temperature of the subterranean formationin which it is placed.

In some embodiments, the degradable material may have a thermoplasticpolymer embedded therein. The thermoplastic polymer may modify thestrength, resiliency, or modulus of the component and may also controlthe degradation rate of the component. Suitable thermoplastic polymersmay include, but are not limited to, an acrylate (e.g.,polymethylmethacrylate, polyoxymethylene, a polyamide, a polyolefin, analiphatic polyamide, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethyleneterephthalate, polycarbonate, polyester, polyethylene,polyetheretherketone, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinylidenechloride, styrene-acrylonitrile), polyurethane prepolymer, polystyrene,poly(o-methylstyrene), poly(m-methyl styrene), poly(p-methyl styrene),poly(2,4-dimethyl styrene), poly(2,5-dimethyl styrene),poly(p-tert-butylstyrene), poly(p-chlorostyrene), poly(α-methylstyrene),co- and ter-polymers of polystyrene, acrylic resin, cellulosic resin,polyvinyl toluene, and any combination thereof. Each of the foregoingmay further comprise acrylonitrile, vinyl toluene, or methylmethacrylate. The amount of thermoplastic polymer that may be embeddedin the degradable material forming the component may be any amount thatconfers a desirable elasticity without affecting the desired amount ofdegradation.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, illustrated are views of an exemplarysand control screen assembly 300 in the process of being fabricated,according to one or more embodiments. Similar to the sand control screenassembly 200 of FIG. 2, the sand control screen assembly 300 may be thesame as or similar to any of the screen assemblies 116 described in FIG.1 and, therefore, may be used in the exemplary well system 100 depictedtherein. As illustrated, the screen assembly 300 may include a braidedsand screen 302 that is in the process of being braided about theexterior of a base pipe 304. The braided sand screen 302 and the basepipe 304 may be the same as or similar to the braided sand screen 208and base pipe 202, respectively, of FIG. 2 and therefore will not bedescribed again in detail.

FIG. 3A shows an enlarged view of the braided sand screen 302 as it isbeing braided onto the exterior of the base pipe 304. In the illustratedembodiment, a drainage layer 308 is depicted as being positioned aboutthe base pipe 304 and otherwise interposing the base pipe 304 and thebraided sand screen 302. As indicated above, the drainage layer 308 mayprove advantageous in providing a radial offset between the base pipe304 and the braided sand screen 302 and otherwise defining theproduction annulus 214 (FIG. 2). In other embodiments, however, thedrainage layer 308 may be replaced with a plurality oflongitudinally-extending ribs that may equally help defining theproduction annulus 214.

FIG. 3B depicts a wire braiding machine 306 that may be used to braidthe braided sand screen 302 directly onto the base pipe 304 duringmanufacture. The wire braiding machine 306 is shown merely as an exampleof one machine that may be used to generate the braided sand screen 302.Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that several othertypes, designs, and configurations of the wire braiding machine 306 mayalternatively be used, without departing from the scope of thedisclosure.

As illustrated, the wire braiding machine 306 may include a plurality ofspindles 310, each having wire 312 wrapped thereon to be deployed andsubsequently braided into a tubular braid (i.e., the braided sand screen302) by the wire braiding machine 306. The wires 312 may be the same asor similar to the wires 218 of FIG. 2. As will be understood by those ofskill in the art, a tubular braid generally comprises an equal number ofwires 312 wound in the clockwise and counter-clockwise helicaldirections. Accordingly, as the base pipe 304 moves through the centerof the wire braiding machine 306, the circumferentially adjacentspindles 310 may be configured to cyclically rotate with respect to oneanother to gradually generate a tubular braided output directly on thebase pipe 304.

It should be noted that while a specific number of spindles 310 aredepicted in FIG. 3B, the wire braiding machine 306 may alternativelycomprise any number of spindles 310 required to create the braided sandscreen 302 to desired specifications. Moreover, the gauge of the wires312 may be increased or decreased to adjust the size of the gaps, voids,or holes between adjacent braided wires 312 in the braided sand screen302. Accordingly, a manufacturer may be able to intelligently optimizeoperation of the braided sand screen 302 by selecting a predeterminednumber of wires 312 and/or a predetermined size of each wire 312, andthereby dictate the size of particulate material that the braided sandscreen 302 may be configured to filter.

In some embodiments, the wire braiding machine 306 may be configured togenerate a “standard weave” braid where one wire 312 crosses over andanother wire 312 crosses under. In other embodiments, the wire braidingmachine 306 may be configured to generate a derivative “basket weave”where multiple wires 312 cross over and an equal number of wires 312cross under. It will be readily appreciated, however, that the wirebraiding machine 306 may be configured to generate any type of tubularbraid or weave, without departing from the scope of the disclosure, aslong as the resulting braided sand screen 302 is sequentially braideddirectly about the exterior of the base pipe 304 during manufacture.

Since the wire braiding machine 306 may be fully automated, the braidingprocess to create the braided sand screen 302 may be less time consumingthan fabricating a wire wrap screen (i.e., a direct wrap screen), whichmay equate to cost savings during manufacture. The braiding process mayalso be more precise, which may also aid in reducing manufacturing costsand time. Moreover, using wires 312 that exhibit acircular-cross-sectional shape, as opposed to triangular wires typicallyused in wire wrap screens, may save on costs since circular wire is lessexpensive than triangular wire.

Embodiments disclosed herein include:

A. A sand control screen assembly that includes a base pipe that definesan interior and one or more flow ports, and a braided sand screendisposed about the base pipe and radially offset from the base pipe suchthat a production annulus is defined therebetween, wherein the braidedsand screen comprises a plurality of wires braided about the base pipeduring manufacture.

B. A method that includes introducing a sand control screen assemblyinto a wellbore adjacent a formation penetrated by the wellbore, thesand control screen assembly having a base pipe and a braided sandscreen disposed about the base pipe and radially offset therefrom suchthat a production annulus is defined between the base pipe and thebraided sand screen, drawing a fluid from the formation and into theproduction annulus via the braided sand screen, wherein the braided sandscreen comprises a plurality of wires braided about the base pipe duringmanufacture of the sand control screen assembly, and flowing the fluidinto an interior of the base pipe via one or more flow ports defined inthe base pipe.

C. A method of manufacturing that includes moving a base pipe of a sandcontrol screen assembly longitudinally through a center of a wirebraiding machine that provides a plurality of spindles, wherein eachspindle includes wire wrapped thereon and the base pipe defines one ormore flow ports, deploying the wire from each spindle as the pluralityof spindles cyclically rotate, and braiding the wire from each spindleabout the base pipe as the base pipe moves longitudinally with respectto the wire braiding machine and thereby generating a braided sandscreen positioned about the base pipe.

Each of embodiments A, B, and C may have one or more of the followingadditional elements in any combination: Element 1: further comprising aperforated shroud disposed about the braided sand screen. Element 2:wherein the production annulus is provided by positioning a plurality oflongitudinally-extending ribs between the base pipe and the braided sandscreen and the braided sand screen is braided about the base pipe on topof the plurality of longitudinally-extending ribs. Element 3: whereinthe production annulus is provided by positioning a drainage layerbetween the base pipe and the braided sand screen and the braided sandscreen is braided about the base pipe on top of the drainage layer.Element 4: wherein at least one of the plurality of wires exhibits acircular cross-section. Element 5: wherein at least one of the pluralityof wires exhibits a polygonal cross-section. Element 6: wherein a firstwire of the plurality of wires exhibits a first gauge and a second wireof the plurality of wires exhibits a second gauge different from thefirst gauge. Element 7: wherein the plurality of wires comprisesstainless steel. Element 8: wherein at least one wire of the pluralityof wires comprises a galvanically-corrodible or dissolvable metal.Element 9: further comprising a degradable material applied to all or aportion of the braided sand screen. Element 10: wherein the degradablematerial comprises a material selected from the group consisting ofborate glass, a degradable polymer, a degradable rubber, a dehydratedsalt, and any combination thereof.

Element 11: wherein the sand control screen assembly further includes aperforated shroud disposed about the braided sand screen, the methodfurther comprising flowing the fluid through the perforated shroud.Element 12: wherein at least one wire of the plurality of wirescomprises a galvanically-corrodible or dissolvable metal, the methodfurther comprising degrading the at least one wire upon subjecting theat least one wire to a wellbore environment. Element 13: wherein thesand control screen assembly further includes a degradable materialapplied to all or a portion of the braided sand screen, the methodfurther comprising degrading the degradable material upon subjecting thedegradable material to a wellbore environment.

Element 14: wherein a plurality of longitudinally-extending ribsinterposes the base pipe and the braided sand screen, and whereinbraiding the wire from each spindle about the base pipe comprisesbraiding the wire from each spindle directly onto the plurality oflongitudinally-extending ribs, and forming a production annulus betweenthe base pipe and the braided sand screen. Element 15: wherein adrainage layer interposes the base pipe and the braided sand screen, andwherein braiding the wire from each spindle about the base pipecomprises braiding the wire from each spindle directly onto the drainagelayer, and forming a production annulus between the base pipe and thebraided sand screen. Element 16: wherein at least one wire of theplurality of spindles comprises a galvanically-corrodible or dissolvablemetal. Element 17: further comprising applying a degradable materialapplied to all or a portion of the braided sand screen, wherein thedegradable material comprises a material selected from the groupconsisting of borate glass, a degradable polymer, a degradable rubber, adehydrated salt, and any combination thereof.

By way of non-limiting example, exemplary combinations applicable to A,B, and C include: Element 9 with Element 10.

Therefore, the disclosed systems and methods are well adapted to attainthe ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherenttherein. The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrativeonly, as the teachings of the present disclosure may be modified andpracticed in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilledin the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, nolimitations are intended to the details of construction or design hereinshown, other than as described in the claims below. It is thereforeevident that the particular illustrative embodiments disclosed above maybe altered, combined, or modified and all such variations are consideredwithin the scope of the present disclosure. The systems and methodsillustratively disclosed herein may suitably be practiced in the absenceof any element that is not specifically disclosed herein and/or anyoptional element disclosed herein. While compositions and methods aredescribed in terms of “comprising,” “containing,” or “including” variouscomponents or steps, the compositions and methods can also “consistessentially of” or “consist of” the various components and steps. Allnumbers and ranges disclosed above may vary by some amount. Whenever anumerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, anynumber and any included range falling within the range is specificallydisclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “fromabout a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or,equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to beunderstood to set forth every number and range encompassed within thebroader range of values. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain,ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by thepatentee. Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in theclaims, are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the elementsthat it introduces. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word orterm in this specification and one or more patent or other documentsthat may be incorporated herein by reference, the definitions that areconsistent with this specification should be adopted.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series ofitems, with the terms “and” or “or” to separate any of the items,modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list (i.e.,each item). The phrase “at least one of” allows a meaning that includesat least one of any one of the items, and/or at least one of anycombination of the items, and/or at least one of each of the items. Byway of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at leastone of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C; anycombination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, and C.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing, comprising: moving abase pipe of a sand control screen assembly longitudinally through acenter of a wire braiding machine that provides a plurality of spindles,wherein each spindle includes wire wrapped thereon and the base pipedefines one or more flow ports; deploying the wire from each spindle asthe plurality of spindles cyclically rotate; and braiding the wire fromeach spindle about the base pipe as the base pipe moves longitudinallywith respect to the wire braiding machine and thereby generating abraided sand screen positioned about the base pipe.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a plurality of longitudinally-extending ribs interposesthe base pipe and the braided sand screen, and wherein braiding the wirefrom each spindle about the base pipe comprises: braiding the wire fromeach spindle directly onto the plurality of longitudinally-extendingribs; and forming a production annulus between the base pipe and thebraided sand screen.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein a drainage layerinterposes the base pipe and the braided sand screen, and whereinbraiding the wire from each spindle about the base pipe comprises:braiding the wire from each spindle directly onto the drainage layer;and forming a production annulus between the base pipe and the braidedsand screen.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one wire of theplurality of spindles comprises a galvanically-corrodible or dissolvablemetal.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying adegradable material applied to all or a portion of the braided sandscreen, wherein the degradable material comprises a material selectedfrom the group consisting of borate glass, a degradable polymer, adegradable rubber, a dehydrated salt, and any combination thereof.